Letters from Harold Edward 'Pompey' Elliott to his family June 1918 - October 1918 - Part 1

France
1/6/18
My dearest Katie
Today has been
just a glorious day, just like
this time last year I rode amongst
the lovely woods that smell so
sweet & fresh round you as
you ride. It is a lovely  ∧beautiful
country at this time of
year. We marched back out
of the line yesterday for a
rest - all the divisions
I have not seen Stewart
& Marshall yet but I
know they are very well
& Neil Freeman too. All
my people here are well
too We have such a lovely
place to Camp. It is like being
on a picnic all the time
The boys are in great heart
In front of us the old Bosche
is dead scared to attack

but sends over quantities of
gas shells & you have to be
very careful. I ^have got right over
mine again now but Earl
Firey has still a very bad
throat. I forgot after all
to enclose little miss Brunch
letter but to do so now also ^one from
my cousin Martha Totterham
& one from my uncle Jim Scott
who is now in Jamaica.
There is not much news
to tell except that General
Birdwood is ∧has ∧been promoted to
Command the 5^th Army &
Genl C.C.B. what goes with
him. I was never so
delighted with any thing
my life. Genl Monash
has [[?]] [[?]] & I have a great
admiration for him. At
present while Genl Monash 

is in Command of the Corps
General Birdwood still
retains the position of G.O.C.
A.I.F. but that arrangement
I am sure cannot last long
Our one little [[?Spuriky]]
General ∧Hobbs is very much off
color & may go away sick
any time. I would like
to get Command of this
Division if poor old Tracy
were out of it. I could ^[[shouldnt?]] do
great things with it - I feel
sure. But Genl Birdwood has
consistently passed me over in
spite of all I have done for
him. He cannot stand
plain speaking at all.
Well darling [[?]] pet
you & I must must just keep in praying
I had a lovely letter from
Mrs Marshall that consoled
me for everything. She said
 

that when Rob Dugan said
that I had decided not to
take leave every mothers at
the meeting breathed freer  to
know I was still looking after
their boys. Wasn't that a lovely
consoling thing to tell me. You
must try somehow to thank
her for me Katie love.
Marshall & Stewart are
working very well [[splendidly?]] together
still.
Katie a few months back I started
to take instead of a cup of tea in
the early morning when using a
cup of hot water & I have felt
ever so much better for it & instead

they constipated & getting piles. I

never have any trouble at all. 
Will you let tell the kiddies that I

always have it & persuade them

to take it. It should not be [[?]]

isn't sickly but as hot as they can

I am glad you liked Jn Begg dearie
I think he is a good man. I always
found him straight & good man.
Roddick is very very straight
too Katie & I know feels disposition
very keenly poor chap. I had a
very nice letter from poor Wyn
Katie dear - I will send it to you
when I've answered it. I think
they misunderstand ^her the poor kid
somehow. You will be good & loving to
her Katie dear I know.
I told you about my saving the
wonderfull collection of Butterflies
Well I got them away all safely
& now I got sent a nice letter from
the Professor of Entomology at
the Paris Museum. He talked
about rewarding me in some
way but I suppose ^by making me
a Doctor or Honorary [[[emertius?]]
of the Museum or something but I ^[?]]
told him that I had no need to be 

rewarded for what anyone should do.
in the interest of Science. It
appears it is the second most
complete collection of Lepidoptera,
(i.e. moths & Butterflies) in the
world. The only other to compare
with it is that of the millionaire
Lord Rothschild & it is worth
hundreds of thousands of francs
probably ₤30,000 to ₤50,000. In
fact he says it is priceless for
many of the rarer specimens are
practically irreplaceable - they are
so scarce & hard to find. I am
sending the letter to Mrs. Edwards
to keep for me darling sweetest
If anything happens to me she will
send you all the letters I have
given her to keep.
Your next letter is dated the
28^th March in which you tell me
about the ∧Depot entertainment. ∧Capt Trainor
is a bit of a "Trick" isnt he 

Condy is a nice little chap. I am
glad you met him. I quite agree
that the good opinion of officers & men
is far better than decorations &
honors. Quite a lot of my boys here
think I was very unfairly treated
over the Polygon Wood fiasco. My
Brigade did much better than any
others & nearly every Brigadier
but me got honors at New Year
now there is this last news which
has made people talk about me
more than ever.  Unless something
comes of this one it will be very
plain that I don't get a fair
deal as I have ^not had all along
but it is better to be like that
than have people wonder how
you came to get a decoration
as I heard some speak of [[Tercy?]]
C.B. & Dick Courtneys too &
several others [*rest of page torn off*]

[*beginning of page torn off*] tell Mrs Layt
that Bert is just the picture of
health & happiness & is first my
right hand man now that Earn Sluait

is a General himself & Chas

Denehy is my lefthand man

& a mighty good one too. 
Ackeroyd has made his way

back too. He [[?]] will his left

hand, his right is pretty unclear

still but he is pretty unclear

still but he fluffed the Doctors

& got back again all right that

is the spirit which will win

us the war in spite of all. 
 

 

∧I ∧fear∧I ∧am ∧becoming Katie hit just a crotchetty old

thing that wits by his brave boys

when they don't do things just quickly

but somehow they seem to know that

I love ever the most of them & value

each drop of their blood far more than

I could weigh gold if it was at

my disproval as their loves & inbs

are now. I am so glad poor old

Nana is going away for a change

That is the best thing that could be

done. Only she should have gone 

to Tassy or Warnambool or somewhere

where she'd have old friends to meet

& talk to. I will try to get to 

Ullapool next leave. It will be

something to tell her about when I

write. Mind you keep your 

own promise to go off for little

trips. What about Healsville

You can think of me good there

you know, Do you remember how

[[Remainder of page missing]]

 

Isn't that Dhurach a darling keeping

right at the top of her class like

that. Tell her I'll love her so much

soon she is so good that I used just

have to send her something nice

but it is so hard to know what

to send her - I think sometime I

will get her a dear little watch

& ask her just to keep it for Dida

until she is eighteen.  I don't like

all girls wearing jewelry - do you

but I should like to send her

something now. I sent the laddie

a collection of Badges off Soldiers

caps put in a belt for him. It

only cost me 5 francs 3/6 too so

it was cheap enough - My groom

collected them for the laddie & I just

paid him the few pence each of them

cost him to get them from the Tommies

I am sure the laddie will 

do equally as well when he is